JCVD
Peace Arch Entertainment Group | Release Date: November 7, 2008 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
64
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 25 Critic Reviews
Positive:
18
Mixed:
6
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
91
Entertainment WeeklyLisa Schwarzbaum
A reality-twisting cousin to "Being John Malkovich" -- showcases a Van Damme who's sly like a fox about his own image. Read full review
83
Portland OregonianM. E. Russell
One of the best movies playing in Portland is, I kid you not, a loopy dramatic thriller starring Jean-Claude Van Damme. Read full review
78
Austin ChronicleMarjorie Baumgarten
Post-JCVD, we'll never again be able to think of Van Damme as just another kickboxer turned actor. Van Damme is an actor, pure and simple, and proves that he is just as deft and accomplished as the movies in which he appears. Read full review
75
USA TodayClaudia Puig
JCVD is a whimsical twist on the biopic, sending up heist movies and breaking cinematic rules to interesting effect. At a critical moment, Van Damme rises out of a tense hostage situation to look into the camera and speak movingly to the audience. He has never seemed more convincing. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
Van Damme says worse things about himself than critics would dream of saying, and the effect is shockingly truthful. Read full review
75
Chicago TribuneMichael Phillips
The film sags in the middle section, and it's more a novelty item than a fully formed work . But it's very entertaining. And Van Damme proves himself a brave, possibly foolhardy actor, which is more than Steven Seagal ever did. Read full review
75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Liam Lacey
Unlike "Being John Malkovich," which JCVD sometimes resembles, there is no secret portal to the star's head; instead, the audience gets a fleeting glimpse through the smeared window of his soul. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalle
A shrewd satire about stardom and the cult of celebrity. Read full review
75
Boston GlobeTy Burr
JCVD may not be the first meta-musclehead movie, but it's certainly the most surprising. Read full review
75
Philadelphia InquirerSteven Rea
JCVD juggles humor with whomping martial-arts moves and a kind of melancholy star turn from the melancholy, muscular star. Read full review
75
Seattle Post-IntelligencerSean Axmaker
An inspired melding of action thriller, satire and biographical drama through the looking glass of a funhouse mirror. Read full review
75
Charlotte ObserverLawrence Toppman
You'll respect him more as an actor if you see this film – and you should, even if you haven't enjoyed the action movies he's made over two decades. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterBernard Besserglik
JCVD should entertain both movie and action buffs. Van Damme proves once and for all that he's not just a set of glistening pectorals. However, he's still in no danger of being asked to play Hamlet. Read full review
70
VarietyRob Nelson
A French-language meta-movie parody par excellence, constitutes the headiest stretch of the beefy star's career since, well, ever. Read full review
70
TimeRichard Corliss
Van Damme has been known as a martial-arts legend, movie star and pain in the ass. But never an actor -- until now. Read full review
70
Chicago ReaderJ.R. Jones
This functions perfectly well as a Van Damme vehicle, but it's also a funny and poignant look at a man trapped by his own ridiculous reputation. Read full review
70
Washington PostJohn Anderson
Inventive, insightful and utterly surprising movie. It takes you places you're not prepared to go: namely, into the soul of a performer best known for flying back kicks. Who, by the way, can act. Read full review
67
The A.V. ClubScott Tobias
A canny piece of autobiography that looks at the man behind the legend and the legend behind the man. Read full review
60
Village VoiceJ. Hoberman
What exactly is JCVD? Comedy? Confession? Confusion? No one will ever mistake these backstage shenanigans for "Irma Vep." But as a self-regarding expression of masculine angst, it's a Damme sight more fun than "Synecdoche." Read full review
60
New York Daily NewsElizabeth Weitzman
Who knew? Turns out, Jean-Claude Van Damme is a funny guy, and a pretty good actor, too. Fans may already be aware of this, but JCVD is likely to introduce a whole new Van Damme to everybody else. Read full review
60
Los Angeles TimesSam Adams
The giddy near-brilliance of its central conceit is squandered by flat execution. Read full review
50
New York Magazine (Vulture)David Edelstein
At one point, Van Damme delivers a long, tortured soliloquy about his alienating stardom to the camera in a single take. It's the most amazing piece of acting I've ever seen by a martial artist. But the film itself doesn't rise above the level of a good try. Read full review
50
The New York TimesA.O. Scott
Some of this is affecting, some of it tedious, and the film's inconsistencies of tone are made more glaring by its peculiar look. Read full review
50
SalonAndrew O'Hehir
Van Damme's remarkable performance -- I say this in all seriousness -- comes pretty close to redeeming the picture's murky and overly complicated artistic intentions. Read full review
38
New York PostKyle Smith
Combines a sketch-comedy premise with pacing like a philosophy seminar. Read full review
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